The diverse community of faith in Windsor has been broadened with the arrival of the Hallel Fellowship in early December. Hallel is part of the modern Messianic Judaism religious movement that combines the fundamentals of Christianity—belief and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, creator, savior and the only way to eternal life—with elements of Judaism.
Hallel embraces the entire Bible from the first five books of Moses, (the Torah), through the New Testament.
Led by Daniel Agee and Jeff Quackenbush, this group of 45 believers previously met at the Rincon Valley Grange and recently relocated to the Windsor area leasing space for Saturday (Sabbath) services at 5901 Old Redwood Highway at the Shiloh Neighborhood Church.
Hallel dates back to the 1970s under the leadership of Daniel Agee’s father, Richard, and several families who had come from other congregations, such as the Worldwide Church of God. Members believe Christianity has its roots based in ancient Israel from which comes the law of God as well as the living example of Jesus Christ.
“We teach members to stand on their own two feet by testing every belief to see if it is derived from Bible scriptures so no one can be misled,” said Agee. “Today people are looking for answers, such as how to obtain a concept of God and His favor, where we stand in relation to his standards, why we should do this or avoid that, and how Jesus’ example is a pattern for how to love and honor God and our neighbor as ourselves.”
Agee said members want to know if the original law of God encapsulated in Exodus 20 has been done away with, and if the Old Testament has ever been replaced by the New. Others have questions about sacrifices and offerings, whether they were nailed to the cross with the death of the Lamb of God, along with the need to observe special feasts throughout the year as outlined in Leviticus 23. The leaders of Hallel said these feasts, or days of remembrance, are God’s memorials of his actions on our behalf in the past, present and future that speak of his love and plan for us from Passover to his second advent.
Agee said our actions only take us so far, and we all need someone who can give us what we don’t deserve – eternal life in the future and a better life now – as we acknowledge our mistakes and turn away from wrongdoing, or sin. He said hearing the “word” from the Bible is just a starting point that must be followed by acting on and embracing what it says.
“We don’t believe in a works-based gospel. Salvation is a gift of God based on the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him. We can’t earn eternal life and have to rely on the one who has the power to save to forgive us and help us through his spirit to conform our lives to his model.”
“Hallel Fellowship is not a church, but it is a place where those attending are allowed to have their own viewpoints, ask questions and get answers directly from the Bible,” said Quackenbush.
Gary Quackenbush is a Windsor resident and writer with his own public relations consultancy. He is the founder of the Windsor Care Network and a former CEO of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at [email protected].
